Six Badgers Among Big Ten Leaders
November 13, 2003 | Football
With two weeks remaining in the 2003 season, six members of the Wisconsin Badger football team rank among the Big Ten in individual statistics.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Jim Sorgi ranks second in the league with a 138.9 pass efficiency rating. Sorgi also ranks fourth in the conference averaging 184.8 yards per game. His top target, Lee Evans, is second in the Big Ten averaging 82.8 yards per game.
Defensively, Jim Leonhard continues to lead the conference with five interceptions. The junior from Tony, Wis. led the nation a year ago with a Big Ten record-tying 11 interceptions. Leonhard is also tied for fourth in passes defended with 10. Fellow defensive back Scott Starks is second in the conference with 15 passes defended. On the defensive line, tackle Anttaj Hawthorne is having a breakout season with 14.5 tackles for a loss. Teammate Alex Lewis is eighth in the Big Ten with 11 TFLs.
Two Badgers are also among the league leaders in special teams. Leonhard leads the league in punt return average (15.7) and is tied for the league lead in punts returned for a touchdown (2). The Badgers primary kick returner, Brandon Williams, ranks third in the Big Ten averaging 22.8 yards a return.
The Badgers (6-4, 3-3) continue the Big Ten schedule Saturday when they host Michigan State at Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CDT). The game will be televised on ESPN2.
